Jim Gilliland is an American soldier originally from Double Springs, Alabama, who is currently a Sergeant serving in the United States Army as a sniper, and who currently holds the record for the longest sniper shot recorded for a 7.62 rifle in Iraq. Gilliland, 28 years of age at the time, was the leader of "Shadow Team", a ten-man sniper element from 2nd Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, and made the confirmed kill on September 25, 2006, shooting into a fourth floor in a hospital in the city of Ramadi, at 1,250 meters. Although a few people on Internet chat boards initially disputed the claim, stating that Gilliland's scope did not have enough elevation adjustment to make a successful shot, Gilliland states that he set his scope's turret for maximum elevation and then used his scope's mil dot reticle to hold over an additional 2 mils, or approximately 12 feet of "Kentucky Windage." He also told a reporter from the UK's The Daily Telegraph that it was "a one in a million shot" that he did not expect to be able to duplicate. There were numerous witnesses to the event and the U.S. Army has officially given Gilliland credit for the kill. Gilliland claims 55-65 kills to his credit in Iraq, as of May, 2007. The U.S. Army has his confirmed kill tally much lower, although this may be because snipers generally work in pairs, and a confirmed kill requires three witnesses.
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